c45: Krillin's Trick
As everyone chatted among themselves, the tournament lottery soon began. With Chiaotzu subtly manipulating the results using his telekinetic abilities, the group ensured they wouldn't face each other in the preliminaries.
The preliminary rounds went smoothly for everyone. Only Chiaotzu encountered a minor hiccup when he was matched against the rebuilt cyborg version of Mercenary Tao now known as Cyborg Tao or Mechanical Tao Baibai. But unlike in the original timeline, this Chiaotzu had undergone rigorous training at Kami's Lookout alongside Tien Shinhan. His power had grown exponentially, allowing him to swiftly and easily defeat Tao, avenging their past encounter.
The final eight were determined: Son Goku vs. Chichi, Krillin vs. Piccolo, Li Xu vs. Yamcha, and Tien Shinhan vs. Chiaotzu.
Interestingly, neither Kami (the Guardian of Earth) nor Yajirobe entered the tournament this time, a shift subtly caused by Li Xu's presence his actions had set new events into motion, like a butterfly flapping its wings.
After a short rest, the familiar voice of the tournament announcer echoed through the stadium: "Ladies and gentlemen, the quarterfinals of the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament are officially underway! First up, please welcome our first match Son Goku vs. a mysterious entrant listed as 'Anonymous'!"
"I'm up!" Goku said cheerfully, waving to his friends as he stepped into the arena.
"Hmph!"
Chichi scowled as she entered the ring, visibly frustrated. She had waited years to see Goku again and he hadn't even recognized her at first.
"You're Chichi. I remember now," Goku said with a slight smile.
"You remembered?" Chichi's stern face softened instantly, her cheeks turning pink with joy.
"Yeah. I didn't understand what 'marriage' meant back then, but I promised you. So if that's what I said, I'll keep my word," Goku added sincerely.
"Hmph! That's not enough anymore. If you really want to marry me, you'll have to beat me first," Chichi said defiantly, though her heart fluttered.
"Is that all?" Goku said, tilting his head.
"Don't underestimate me!" she snapped, suddenly fired up.
"Alright. Be careful," Goku warned he had gauged her strength already and knew this wouldn't take long.
Boom!
Goku disappeared in a blur and reappeared right in front of Chichi. Before she could even react, a gentle but decisive punch sent her flying out of the ring.
"Ow!" Chichi yelped, rubbing her head as she sat on the grass.
"Son Goku wins!" the announcer declared, catching up to what had just happened. The match had ended so quickly, he barely had time to comment.
"Chichi!" Goku called as he jogged over to the edge of the ring and extended his hand to help her up.
"As expected of the man I'm going to marry," Chichi beamed, taking his hand and pulling herself back onto the stage, clinging to Goku's arm lovingly.
"Chichi… it's hard to walk like this," Goku said, frowning slightly.
"I'm so jealous," Krillin muttered under his breath, eyes tinged with green.
"I didn't expect Chichi to turn out so… pretty," Bulma commented, blinking in surprise.
"She's not as pretty as you," Li Xu said smoothly. He knew better than to praise another woman too much in front of his own fiancée.
"And now, we invite our next match: Krillin vs. the second-generation Demon King Piccolo!" the announcer's voice rang again.
"Krillin, be careful. He's strong," Goku warned his best friend as he passed him.
"Don't worry, Goku. We've all trained hard these past few years. I've got a few surprises up my sleeve," Krillin grinned, his confidence shining through.
Krillin and Piccolo stepped onto the ring, and the audience immediately fell into hushed anticipation. This match promised fireworks.
"Little runt," Piccolo sneered, arms crossed. "After I crush you and then Goku, the world will once again know the fear of Piccolo Daimao!"
"Try it!" Krillin shot back, undaunted.
Without hesitation, Krillin dashed forward, fists clenched, and fired two rapid energy blasts toward Piccolo his trademark Scatter Shot technique.
"Cheap tricks!" Piccolo snarled, brushing one aside and preparing his counter.
Piccolo jumped lightly into the sky, evading the direct path of Krillin's twin energy blasts. But with a sharp flick of Krillin's wrists, the two energy spheres curved mid-air demonstrating the advanced control he'd gained through intense training and homed in on Piccolo.
"Tch!" Piccolo clicked his tongue in mild irritation. His eyes suddenly gleamed, and with a burst of power, he fired twin beams of energy from his eyes—his Eye Lasers which collided with the approaching blasts, creating small explosions mid-air.
"The clash between Krillin and the reincarnated Demon King Piccolo is intense from the very start!" the announcer cried with excitement, making up for the abrupt finish of the Goku-Chichi match with a thrilling commentary.
Suddenly, Krillin appeared behind Piccolo, his fist flying in from the blind spot his speed boosted by training in Kami's Lookout and one year of gravity training under 10x Earth gravity.
But Piccolo's body flickered out of sight at the last second, vanishing like a mirage.
"Krillin, behind you!" Goku shouted, his face tense.
Piccolo had teleported behind Krillin using his superior speed and sensing ability. With a sneer curling across his lips, Piccolo raised both fists overhead and brought them crashing down in a hammer strike.
FWOOOSH!
Like a meteor crashing from orbit, Krillin plummeted toward the arena floor hurtling toward a ring-out. The ground shook from the air pressure he generated.
Just as he was about to hit the ground outside the ring boundary, Krillin's body halted in midair levitating shakily back to safety using his Bukujutsu.
"That was close…" Krillin muttered, wiping dust and a small trickle of blood from his mouth. "Almost got taken out."
"Let's see what you've really got," Piccolo said coldly as he floated down to the ring. "Your current power level isn't even close to mine."
Krillin didn't argue. Instead, he reached into his sash and pulled out a small glass bottle with a kanji-inscribed seal. Placing it gently on the arena floor, he unscrewed the lid.
Li Xu's eyes narrowed in recognition. "So Master Roshi really did pass that technique down to Krillin," he said. "Even Goku never learned it."
It was the Mafūba the Evil Containment Wave. A dangerous and taxing technique designed specifically to imprison demonic entities. It was the very move Roshi had once attempted and failed to use against the original Piccolo Daimao.
Unlike Goku, Krillin had spent more time under Roshi's direct tutelage, inheriting more of his core techniques.
"Mafūba!" Krillin shouted, forming a swirling spiral of bright green energy between his hands. The powerful vortex shot toward Piccolo, the energy spiraling with immense force as it sought to trap him.
Piccolo narrowed his eyes. "You think I didn't prepare for this?" he growled.
He opened his arms wide and gathered his ki, pushing against the wave with a fierce burst of energy.
BOOM!
The containment wave was reversed in a flash, shocking everyone.
"Mafūba reversal?!" Krillin gasped as the vortex turned back and sucked him toward the very bottle he had prepared for Piccolo.
"No way!" he yelled, struggling against the pull but it was too late.
FWUMP! Krillin was sealed inside the bottle.
Piccolo gave a smirk of disdain. He didn't bother to seal the lid. Instead, with a swift kick, he sent the bottle tumbling out of the ring technically eliminating Krillin from the match.
Once outside, the bottle clinked open, and Krillin tumbled out, panting heavily. The move had drained a massive amount of energy.
"That was close," Li Xu said to himself. "If Piccolo were still purely a demon, the Mafūba might've worked. But he's changed."
Indeed, after separating from Kami, Piccolo had slowly developed a dual nature. Though he still called himself Piccolo Daimao, he no longer carried the full essence of demonic ki. This gave him some resistance to the sealing properties of the wave and Krillin's insufficient power level had made it easier for Piccolo to break free.
"Krillin, that was incredible," Goku said, running over. "You've gotten so much stronger."
Despite the defeat, Krillin's power and creativity had left an impression. With a combat power of around 5,000 thanks to intense training and gravity-enhanced sessions he had proven himself far more formidable than in earlier tournaments.
Krillin gave a tired, bitter laugh. "Still wasn't enough. I thought I could finally stand on your level…"
"You're already amazing," Goku said sincerely, patting his friend on the back.
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